CS CONNECTION
“An Annual Competency program that is directed by staff input and performed in situ by trained evalua- tors assures that all techni- cians are performing tasks according to department standard operating pro- cedure (SOP),” said Czar- nowski. “A good program prevents drift by experienced workers and demonstrates that new workers are trained to perform tasks in the same way. In situ teach back assessment also can discover environmen- tal or mechanical factors that impact the work. Quality is the state of adherence to standards, not goodness.” Coss acknowledges that all CS/SPDs have processes and procedures that when followed should ensure safety and quality. She says a simple technique to optimize and improve operations is to audit cur- rent processes and procedures using two simple steps: sk yourself first if the team is follow-
Casey Czarnowski
ing the procedures. Then as you audit job performance, ask yourself if there are changes that will improve the process. We also recommend periodic audits of final work products either after assembly or by randomly pulling trays to ensure they are 100 percent correct.”
Communication and collaboration During times of “business as usual,” com- munication and collaboration between the CS/SPD and other departments, most nota- bly the operating room (OR), is critical to success. The coordination of efforts is even more crucial as both sterile processing and clinical teams navigate these uncertain and changing times.
“First and foremost, ensure you have an open communication channel to the OR,” said Coss. “Perhaps in a business-as-usual climate, you can get away with a once daily meeting. But if case volumes surge as expected, you will need continuous flow communication with the OR.”
“Increased communication across the SPD, to the OR, to the surgery scheduling desk, to the surgeon needs to be utilized,” said Cox. “Importance needs to be placed on realistic expectations and possibilities. Delays need to be communicated quickly. he use of liaisons will help with flow, continue trust and increase reporting. An SPD navigator will increase throughput in the most productive way possible.” Mackay urges CS/SPDs to extend process
standardization beyond their four walls and into customer departments, noting how perioperative teams often struggle with pre- cleaning of today’s complex instruments
and devices, especially given the variety. “All perioperative personnel share respon- sibility for seeing that items used in surgery are effectively cleaned, ster- ilized or disinfected,” said Mackay. “Having a system of standard- ized policies and pro- cedures in place across all relevant depart- ments—from the oper- ating room to sterile processing areas—and at each level of the
will reduce the time needed for process- ing, improving department efficiency and set accuracy.
• Transition from wrapped sets to rigid containers. This will immediately reduce turnaround time by eliminating the wrap- ping step.
“If you decide to move to rigid contain-
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decision-making process can help ensure that this responsibility is met.” Gutierrez recommends that healthcare facilities form small cross-functional teams comprised of both CS/SPD and clinical professionals, to organize how and when clinical devices will be reprocessed and handled. She states:
“Past experience has proved that small
teams can better manage individual clin- ics, set up pick-up times and have better quality devices sent back into clinical rota- tion. These small teams are empowered to learn, lead and communicate any errors or deficiencies ack to each department s a result, most techs in the team find them- selves delivering higher quality products because they have ownership of the process they helped create.” Marcia Frieze, CEO, Case Medical, explains how the return to elective pro- cedures provides a unique opportunity for cross-functional teams to assess their instrument set inventory. She recommends the following steps: • For each set type, ensure there are enough instrument sets in inventory to accom- modate planned procedures and allow adequate time for reprocessing.
• Look for opportunities to remove unnec- essary instruments from the set, organize for ease of use and/or standardize con- tents across all sets of the same type. This
ers, Case Medical’s SteriTite containers are manufactured with the highest quality materials and each container has a unique 2D bar code for paperless tracking,” Frieze added.
Additional considerations: PPE and BIs
Safety is always a priority of the CS/SPD, and it is always a challenge, but certain factors today are presenting even greater hurdles to protecting both patient and CS/SPD team-member safety. Two that have been in the media spotlight are the shortage of PPE supplies and the misinter- pretation of indicators for sterilization. We asked our experts to provide their insights and advice on these two topics.
Addressing potential PPE shortages “I have heard and read online that some sterile processing departments have run out of PPE and some are having a hard time acquiring the needed PPE to function daily,” said Greene-Golden. “If a sterile processing department runs out of PPE, they cannot work in the decontamination area and yes, this will impact their ability to function in patient care by not being able to perform their duties.
“This is unacceptable and against OSHA regulations for the protection of the health- care worker,” she added. “Sterile processing team members must have PPE to clean and decontaminate instruments and equipment for patient care. So, no PPE means, in literal terms, no cleaning or decontaminating in the sterile processing department.” “I think that CS/SPD leaders should be
very vocal with their leaders and admin- istration that proper PPE is essential to their process,” said Harris. “What may be a suitable solution in one area for preserving PPE, may not be a suitable solution in their areas. It is also important that leadership understand that there are certain requirements that are necessary for the PPE in CS/SPD depart- ments to meet. Any old gown or glove won’t do.”
In recent months, PPE manufac-
SteriTite containers from Case Medical feature a unique 2D bar code for tracking
26 July 2020 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
turers have stepped up produc- tion of masks and other supplies in an attempt to meet the needs of healthcare workers. The U.S.
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